"I don't think anyone that I've spoken to has heard of a case like this other than a story made for TV,'' Gavin said.

According to a profile in the Waterloo Region Record, Latulip was living in a local group home at the time of his disappearance. The profile said he was developmentally delayed and functioned at the cognitive level of a child.

Latulip had made suicide attempts in the past, and family members feared he had travelled to Niagara Falls for another attempt when he vanished in 1986.

The mystery surrounding his disappearance took its toll on Latulip's mother, according to the newspaper profile.

'This is always at the back of my mind.'

"This is always at the back of my mind. Having an answer would mean closure,'' Silvia Wilson told the Record. "When Edgar disappeared, I became quite sick. I had to take a leave of absence from work. I was near a nervous breakdown.''

Gavin, who said he could not comment on Latulip's life prior to his disappearance, said he did in fact make it to the Falls before travelling to nearby St. Catharines.

Gavin said it's unknown how or when Latulip received his head injury, nor when his memory began to return.

The first evidence of those recollections came in January when Latulip revealed suspicions of his past identity to a local social worker.

"He's got a lot to take in to remember his old identity."

A Google search turned up the newspaper profile, prompting her to reach out to police.

Gavin said the results of Latulip's DNA test came back on Monday, leaving the 50-year-old with much to process.

"He's got a lot to take in to remember his old identity,'' he said. "There's nerves. You haven't seen your family members in all these years and now a reunification process. I think it's a lot to take in.''